


Protégé

by beckzorz (heckofabecca)



Series: Bucky Barnes Ficlets & Drabbles [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, POV Second Person, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Protogé Reader, Red Room (Marvel), Tumblr Prompt, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24962233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heckofabecca/pseuds/beckzorz
Summary: After training with the soldier, the Red Room awaits.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader
Series: Bucky Barnes Ficlets & Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806649
Kudos: 10





	Protégé

“She’s ready.” The soldier looms large.

Madame B’s eyes narrow as she circles you. It takes every ounce of control to keep stock-still, but _every ounce of control_ is how much you use for everything. It’s nothing.

Anyone else give you such penetrating stares, you’d probably kill them. But this is Madame B, your mentor. The closest you’ll ever get to a friend.

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see the soldier’s head turn towards you.

Well, maybe not the closest.

Madame B had never pulled the sleeves of your coat down. She’d never wrapped your scarf tighter around your face or checked how cold your nose and cheeks were. Never wrapped her arms around you to share body heat in the winter…

But the soldier comes and goes. He might have been sensible, but he wasn’t real. Not like Madame B.

“She’s almost as young as Natalia was. I did not expect such great things of her when I sent her off.”

“She learned.”

The soldier’s voice is more clipped now. Is he bothered by Madame B’s assessment? He shouldn’t be. You learned more with the soldier than you thought possible in such a short time. And his lessons… they had not _all_ been as cold as your mission in the snow.

A weaker woman would blush. But you don’t. Blushing is something you only do on command.

 _That’s_ the strength that’s needed. _That’s_ the control the soldier praised—not with words, but with unsmiling looks, curt nods.

“Very well.” Madame B looks you in the face. “We will begin your final tests. And if you do not fail them, we shall proceed with graduation. Soldier, you are dismissed.”

He doesn’t respond other than to leave, but when he passes between you and Madame B, his eyes rest on yours.

You don’t know what you see in them.

All you know is that you will never see them again.


End file.
